Beth Watson Design Studio: Ann Butler Design and Resin Crafts Blog Hop

HAPPY THURSDAY and welcome to the Ann Butler Designs and Resin Crafts Blog Hop!

So, I have to say that initially I was pretty intimidated to work with resin. Measuring, mixing, timing and pouring - it all seemed way to technical for my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style of crafting. BUT, do it once and you will be hooked, just like I was!

Now on to my project!

Paint unfinished wooden tray with Americana acrylics by DecoArt in Light Buttermilk and Lamp Black, let dry. I found my tray at Michael's.

Stamp Ann Butler 2″ square Faux Quilting Stamps by Unity Stamp Company in Leaves All Over; Stripes Dots Hearts and Doily Picnic on light blue and lavender cardstock with Colorbox® Crafter’s Ink by Ann Butler in Lilac and Aquamarine. Cut out the squares with scissors and dry fit in your wooden tray. Apply black, self adhesive black chipboard letters to spell WELCOME.

Once you are pleased with the design, glue down and seal the stamped cardstock and chipboard letters with ETI Ultra-Seal. Make sure that you apply a nice heavy coat and let it dry overnight. You have to seal the cardstock and chipboard, so the resin does not seep underneath and discolor your project.

Prepare your project for resin by finding a level surface that is out of the way and line with waxed paper, a non-stick craft sheet or parchment paper. Place your project on this surface.

Next mix the resin. Pour equal parts of EnviroTex Lite resin and hardener into the plastic cup and stir for 2 minutes with wooden stick. Make sure to scrap the bottom and the sides as you stir. I used my cell phone to time my mixing. Next, pour this mixture into a new plastic cup and stir for an additional 2 minutes with a new wooden stick.

Pour the resin onto your sealed wooden tray, scrapping out all of the resin. Spread resin out with wooden stick to make sure that all edges and corner are covered. The resin will self level as it dries, so making sure that your surface is level is important.

I wasn't able to get a good photo, but the resin had a ton on bubbles in it, so I simply "huffed" over the surface with my hot breath. Worked like a charm!

Here is another close up of my project. Now I have a gorgeous and weather proof (important in SW Florida!) WELCOME sign to hang on my gate and greet all of guests!